Agro-food

Created in 2006, the Ainoma Seed Farm is specialized in the production of improved seeds for the south-western region of Niger. The production site is located in the village of Fatabaga in the commune of Tamou, Say Department in the region of Tillabéry.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

The farm has been managed by Mrs. Aichatou Nasser since 2014, who studied in the United States and holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Management.  Her first mission in the company was to take charge of the management and implementation of a program aimed at increasing seed production capacity. 

ABOUT SINERGI

SINERGI S.A. is a private investment company created in 2006 and supported by I&P with a group of key individual and institutional shareholders in the Nigerien and international SME support landscape. Headed by Ibrahima Djibo, its objective is to contribute to the economic and social development of Niger through the promotion of entrepreneurship and the development of SMEs. SINERGI S.A. provides the means for entrepreneurs in Niger to achieve their growth projects by providing long-term financing and local support.  → Find out more about Sinergi Niger 
 

ABOUT USAID PROGRAM

Investisseurs & Partenaires and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched in 2016 an innovative acceleration program for young companies located in Niger, Burkina Faso and Senegal. The partnership will support high-potential start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises to facilitate their access to financing in a region where the ecosystem supporting entrepreneurship is still underdeveloped. → Click here to find out more

A family business created in 1999 at the initiative of Mrs TOURÉ, Rose Eclat is a company that operates in the agricultural field, more specifically in the processing of fruit and vegetables. Today, the company puts on the national and international market processed and/or dried fruits and vegetables certified BIO and HACCP such as mango (flagship product), banana, okra, strawberry, or onion. 

Rose Eclat works in partnership with more than 500 small producers, which she supports technically, organizationally and financially.
 

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Rosemonde Rita Evelyne TOURÉ has a postgraduate degree in law (DEA) and more than 20 years of experience in mango drying. She relies on her experience and a young and dynamic team to manage the company.

Her commitment and dynamism have earned her many distinctions such as :

• Knight of the Order of Merit of Commerce and Industry
• Green Africa" Quality Award, 2010
• UEMOA Quality Award 2017 awarded by ABNORMES
• Award of Excellence for the Best Exporter of the Year 2017

CONTRIBUTIONS BY SINERGI BURKINA

Rose Eclat is the first company run by a woman in the SINERGI BURKINA portfolio. The objectives of the partnerships are among others :

• The structuring and establishment of a management body
• Increasing annual production capacity 
• Customer and product diversification 
• Obtaining the British Retail Consortium (BRC) certificate

Rose Eclat also benefits from financial support and technical assistance within the framework of the I&P Acceleration in Sahel program, in partnership with the European Union. To cope with the unprecedented situation of covid-19, some fifteen companies benefit from technical and financial support to maintain their activities and overcome the crisis.

IMPACTS

• Formalizing and securing jobs
• Establishing good governance
• Payment of taxes and social contributions

ABOUT SINERGI BURKINA

Created in 2014, Sinergi Burkina is the first impact investment fund dedicated to financing and supporting SMEs and start-ups in Burkina Faso. Headed by Job Zongo, Sinergi Burkina is the second investment fund sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires as part of the I&P Développement 2 fund. The fund network currently includes a fund in Niger (Sinergi Niger), Côte d'Ivoire (Comoé Capital), Senegal (Teranga Capital) and Madagascar (Miarakap).  → To learn more about Sinergi Burkina

Le Lionceau is a small senegalese company specialized in the production and marketing of smooth purée for children from 6 months to 36 months. The products are of high nutritional quality and made from locally produced fruits, vegetables, cereals and ingredients. 

ENTREPRENEURS

The company was created by two agricultural engineers graduated from Montpellier Sup Agro who are : 

Mrs Siny SAMBA, Engineer graduated from Montpellier Sup Agro, with a specialization in infant nutrition and significant experience in a large multinational company specialized in infant food.

Mr. Rémi FILASTO', Engineer graduated from Montpellier Sup Agro, with a specialization in financing of agro/agri companies in France.

OBJECTIVES

Le Lionceau benefits from the I&P Acceleration in Sahel program with a funding of 30 million CFA francs (€45,000) whose objectives are to :

• Accompany the company in strategic thinking to meet the challenges of marketing, brand development, supply and positioning.
• Support the company in the implementation of a management system including the management of financial and operational data, inventory, treasury and human resources.

EXPECTED IMPACTS

• The creation and formalization of stable jobs 
• The valorization of local raw materials 
• The fight against child malnutrition 
• Fiscal and social formalization

About Teranga Capital

Teranga Capital is the first impact investment fund dedicated to the financing and support of Senegalese SMEs and start-ups. Headed by Olivier Furdelle, Teranga Capital is the third African fund sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires under the I&P Développement 2 program. The network currently includes a fund in Niger (Sinergi Niger), Burkina Faso (Sinergi Burkina), Ivory Coast (Comoé Capital) and Madagascar (Miarakap). → Find out more about Teranga Capital

Founded in 2006 by the Malagasy promoter Malala Rabenoro, SOAFIARY is specialized in the sourcing, processing and commercialization of cereals (maize, rice) and leguminous plants (beans, cape peas, lentils, soybeans) on local and international markets. The company employs nearly 200 people, including 88% women.

Backed by a good reputation in this sector, the company begins to diversify its activities in 2017. SOAFIARY has set up a feed mill unit and has also launched the SOADIO project, a contract farming project run in collaboration with the diocese of the Vakinankaratra region, located in the highlands of Madagascar. The company trains the farmers and provides them with the agricultural equipment and inputs needed to operate the 4,100 hectares of land owned by the Diocese, and then buys the entire production. This project is a response to the challenges of traceability and product quality.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

The company was founded by Malala Rabenoro. With a background in marketing, Malala previously worked for an Microfinance Institution (MFI) where she gained more than 15 years of experience in administrative and personnel management. She left her position in 2011 to dedicate herself fully to SOAFIARY, where she manages the marketing, procurement and investor relations aspects of the business.

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P

Soafiary is supported by the fund I&P Afrique Entrepreneurs 2 (IPAE 2). The partnership aims to:

⇒ Reviving the company's historical activity

⇒ Improving the quality management system

⇒ Supporting the company in the certification and standardization process (HACCP and Bio)

⇒ Developing the feed mill unit

⇒ Developing the SOADIO project

⇒ Strengthening corporate governance, Participating in management capacity building

⇒ Advising and supporting the company in its relations with investors and strategic third parties

EXPECTED IMPACTS

⇒ Promoting a committed female promoter

⇒ Creating jobs for a disadvantaged population with low education levels

⇒ Providing support to employees on literacy and hygiene-related issues

⇒ Supporting farmers through the SOADIO project

• Inclusion of small producers in the value chain
• Improving the living conditions of small producers

AFRIBON, launched in 2012, is specialized in the creation and marketing of food flavours. The group has five production sites in total: four in East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania) and one in Cameroon.

AFRIBON is currently the only company to produce locally and offer a tailor-made service to its customers, including notably manufacturers of beverages, biscuits and dairy products.

ENTREPRENEURS

AFRIBON was created and is managed by two entrepreneurs :

Julien GIUGE  is the co-founder and Managing Director of AFRIBON. He graduated from ESSEC and worked for nine years in China, where he was for three years the manager of the Chinese subsidiary of the AROMATECH Group, a French group specialising in the production of flavours and fragrances. 

Anne MERIENNE is the co-founder and Director of the Kenyan sector. A graduate of ESCP, she has worked in China and the United Arab Emirates for the Beaumanoir group and the Accor group on management control and business development positions.

Based in Kenya, Anne and Julien have lived in several African countries over the past five years (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda).

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P

I&P is committed alongside Afribon to :

•Ÿ Develop the activities of the group in the current countries of operation

Ÿ•Ÿ Finance a new production line  

Ÿ •Ÿ Strengthen the group's structure on cross-cutting activities

Ÿ •Ÿ Support the group's development in new countries

EXPECTED IMPACTS

Ÿ•Ÿ Creation of many skilled jobs

Ÿ•Ÿ Creating opportunities for young teams composed mainly of women

Ÿ•Ÿ A service that reduces a major bottleneck in the food industry

•Ÿ Develop the skills of local teams

Ÿ•Ÿ Substitution to imports

Lysa & Co is a Senegalese company specializing in the processing and marketing of agricultural products such as peanuts, cashew and corn.It has long-standing expertise in providing its customers with healthy, natural products of high taste quality, elaborated with local raw materials processed by artisanal processes.

Sold under the name SENAR- Les Delices de Lysa, products are mainly marketed in major retail chains in Senegal (CASINO, AUCHAN, EXCLUSIVE, CITYDIA, etc.), in hotels (eg NOVOTEL), and in direct sales to private individuals in Dakar ( eg Dakar Farmers Market).

The Entrepreneur

Sylvie Sagbo Gommard took over the management of the family business in 2015 to ensure its development and sustainability.

In 1982 her mother Mrs. Sagbo was the first to market her peanuts in supermarkets in Dakar. She built her own company and now has more than 10 employees working tirelessly to supply the Senegalese market with the best peanuts and cashews.

Partnership with Teranga Capital

Teranga committed alongside with the company to:

• Support the construction of a new factory abiding international standards and leading to increasing production capacity.

• Support the valorization of the SENAR Brand « Les Délices de Lysa » and its business development on new markets and with new products

Expected Impacts

• Formalization of the company’s activity

• 10 new formal jobs created

• Promotion of artisanal and local processes and structuration of the value chain

AGROSERV INDUSTRIE is an industrial unit processing maize into gritz and flour. Based in the industrial zone of Kossodo (Ouagadougou), the unit is equipped with two automatic production lines with a production capacity of 50 tons per day each.

The expertise developed by the promoter since the creation of the company in 2008 has allowed to him to conquer a significant portion of the national market.

In order to optimize the supply chain, AGROSERV INDUSTRIE decided to organize and support a network of small producers.

The entrepreneur

M. Siaka SANON holds a degree in IT Management. After graduating, he integrated the family business called EKSF (Establishment SANON Karidia et Fils), specialized in the collect and marking of cereals on local and international markets. This experience enabled him to get a full understanding of the maize supply chain. He managed the company for ten years and let its evolution towards AgroServ Industry, launched as a SARL in 2008.

Read the interview of Siaka Sanon (2022)

Partnership with I&P and Sinergi Burkina

Partnership with I&P and OikoCredit (2022 - now)

In 2022, Oikocredit and I&P (through its fund IPAE), with the support of BIO and EDFI AgriFI, completed the investment of €12.2 million in AgroServ Industrie.

This funding will allow Agroserv Industrie:

⇒ To build a new production unit in the city of Bobo-Dioulasso, which will increase Agroserv's processing capacity to 160 tons per day.

⇒ Agroserv also plans to diversify into higher value-added products, including high-energy flour, pre-cooked cornmeal and soy protein, which will be sold to households, the government for school canteens and the World Food Program.

⇒ Smallholder farmers supplying Agroserv are also expected to increase to 12,000 (from 6,000 today) through closer collaboration with local cooperatives, increased direct sourcing, and higher yields, thanks to technical assistance provided by I&P.

Read more about this new investment

Partnership with Sinergi Burkina (2017-2022)

AgroServ Industrie is the second investment of Sinergi Burkina, an impact fund sponsored by I&P and dedicated to small companies in Burkina Faso.

The collaboration between Agroserv Industrie and Sinergi Burkina had considerable impacts on the local economic fabric. It has notably allowed the strengthening of a network of some 6.000 small maize producers and the employees jobs' formalization. 

AgroServ Industrie is the first exit of Sinergi Burkina, after 5 years of successful collaboration.

Read more about the exit

In 2020, AgroServ also benefitted from financial support and technical assistance within the framework of the I&P Acceleration in the Sahel program, in partnership with the European Union. To cope with the unprecedented situation of covid-19, some fifteen companies benefit from technical and financial support to maintain their activities and overcome the crisis.

Main Impacts

• Structuring a network of more than 6,000 small maize producers

• Import substitution and sale of essential goods at affordable price

• Wages well above the legal minimum in Burkina Faso

About I&P Afrique Entrepreneurs 2 (IPAE 2)

IPAE 2 is an impact fund promoting the emergence of a new generation of responsible African entrepreneurs. IPAE 2 invests in equity and quasi-equity as a minority shareholder in startups and businesses located in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean, for amounts comprised between €300,000 and €5 million.

Read more

About Sinergi Burkina

Created in 2014, Sinergi Burkina is the first impact investment fund dedicated to financing and supporting SMEs and start-ups in Burkina Faso. Headed by Job Zongo, Sinergi Burkina is the second investment fund sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires as part of the I&P Développement 2 fund. The fund network currently includes a fund in Niger (Sinergi Niger), Côte d'Ivoire (Comoé Capital), Senegal (Teranga Capital) and Madagascar (Miarakap).  → To learn more about Sinergi Burkina

Founded in 1993 and managed by Simon Rakotondrahova, SCRIMAD specializes in the collect and export of litchi production, among other fruits and spices (vanilla, black pepper, cinnamon, etc.).

SCRIMAD is certified "Fair Trade" and notably works with ETHIQUABLE, a french co-op specialized in organic agriculture and fair trade. The partnership with I&P aims to help the company diversify its activities and ensure stable income to the partner farmer organisations.

The entrepreneur

Founder and manager of SCRIMAD, Simon Rakotondrahova has notably chaired the Madagascar Chamber of Commerce and Industry and “Gelmada”, a gathering of Litichi exporters in Madagascar.

Partnership with I&P

I&P committed alongside Scrimad to:

• Settle a production unit specialized in the production of fruit puree and frozen fruits

• Take energy efficiency measures in this new production unit

• Train the producers so that they meet the requirements established by BIO-GLOBALCAP and ETHIQUABLE

• Strengthen the capacities of the operational management team

La Laiterie du Berger is the only Senegalese company to manufacture dairy products from local fresh milk, collected from more than 800 farmers in the area Richard Toll in northern Senegal. The products of Laiterie du Berger, distributed in more than 6,000 outlets in late 2012, face a stiff competition face to products made ​​from imported milk powder and dairy products from the informal economy.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Bagoré-Xavier Bathily was born in Dakar and studied veterinary medicine in Belgium. He then worked in France and for an NGO in Mauritania. In 2005, with strong support from his brothers and sisters, he created La Laiterie du Berger to enhance the production of fresh milk in Senegal.

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P

I&P committed alongside with La Laiterie du Berger to:

• To provide the capital needed for the company to start

• To contribute to the early strategy of the company

• To progressively implement management tools

• To contribute to the expansion of the shareholder base

• To provide technical assistance on various topics (operational and financial)

IMPACTS

• Steady revenue granted to 800 rural families guaranteeing economic security and preservation of their traditional activity

• Contribution to the structure of the dairy industry in Senegal

• Offer of healthy affordable dairies in individually marketed goods